 "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Swachh Bharat mission, pm modi, narendra modi, sanitation")
Illustration by Binay Sinha
The Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday 10 years ago, has some commendable achievements to its credit. According to National Family Health Survey, 82.5 per cent of households now have access to toilet facilities, up from just 45 per cent in 2004-05. But in declaring India 100 per cent “Open Defecation Free” in 2019, the government may have celebrated prematurely. A closer look at the data suggests the battle against open defecation is yet to be decisively won, especially given declining toilet usage in rural India since 2018-19. The urgent need for maintenance and pending critical last mile infrastructure. The gains from the Swachh Bharat programme are too significant and hard-won to be dissipated for lack of funds or organisational momentum. More durable gains can also be delivered through progressive decentralisation, with the Centre focusing on institutional capacity building at the grassroots in collaboration with state governments and the third tier of governance, the top edit points out. Read it here
In other views:
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Ajai Shukla makes the case for the defence ministry supporting defence exports in a major way. Read it here
Amarendu Nandy argues that India must balance it economic interests vis-à-vis the EU’s carbon border tx with proactive climate action. Read it here
The second edit says the Supreme Court has rightly put the onus on politicians to refrain from weaponising religion. Read it here
First Published: Oct 04 2024 | 6:30 AM IST
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